CURRENT POSITION Community Engagement Coordinator, Miami-Dade Public Library System, FL DEGREE MS in Information, Florida State University, 2021 FAST FACT Moore regularly presents interactive workshops and speaks at national and international conferences. FOLLOW bit.ly/MogulMakerExpo; mdpls.org/youmake; bit.ly/Technobus Photo by John Perez

Mobile Mogul

Marlon Moore isn’t one to sit back and wait for patrons to ask for assistance. Instead, he focuses on creating opportunities to actively engage teens, connect seniors with the latest technology, and even help entrepreneurs grow their businesses.

Building on the success of the YOUmedia Miami program and YOUmake Miami makerspaces that he helped create at Miami-Dade Public Library System (MDPLS), Moore took his work on the road in 2017, helping design and launch the “Technobus,” the library’s mobile computer lab. The 37-foot repurposed bookmobile travels throughout the region, visiting more than 60 sites and serving approximately 500 individuals monthly. Focused on connecting with residents in underserved communities, the Technobus is equipped with MacBooks, iPads, high-speed Wi-Fi, software suites, 3-D printing, coding kits, music equipment, drones, and virtual reality devices—anything the library might need to teach seniors about using mobile devices and social media, help adults in job searches and learning basic coding, and engage teenagers in after-school programs.

When the Miami-Dade County Mayor’s Office of Innovation and Economic Development came calling, Moore helped develop the Mogul Maker Expo (MME), a series of one-day conferences hosted by MDPLS that support the Mayor’s vision of entrepreneurship being available to everyone in every neighborhood. Since 2022, MME events have attracted more than 800 attendees and facilitated essential resources and consultations for aspiring business owners.

Moore’s contributions have earned MDPLS eight National Association of Counties Awards from 2013 to 2023 for unique and impactful programs. “I endeavor to help promote the use of libraries in our community,” Moore says, “so that people are more aware of libraries as rapidly evolving institutions that are part of an international cultural and technological movement.”